2012 Oakland Raiders Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Time and TV Info

They're three-for-three, as in three head coaches in three years, now that Dennis Allen will debut as Hue Jackson's replacement.

You know what else is interesting? It's the second time since 2006 that the Silver and Black have had such a run of turnover on the sidelines, after Norv Turner, Art Shell and Lane Kiffin played hot potato with a head set between 2005 and 2007.

But, the late, great Al Davis is gone, giving way to a new day in Oakland, in which GM Reggie McKenzie is starting fresh.

Like everyone else in the AFC West, the Raiders went 3-3 in divisional play on the way to an 8-8 record overall. Games against the AFC North and the NFC South won't be easy, though the Pittsburgh Steelers figure to regress a bit after an offseason full of roster cuts. The New Orleans Saints will be dogged by turmoil in the wake of the "Bountygate" scandal.

Realistically then, the Raiders should be able to duplicate last year's eight-win result if the new coaching staff is able to establish the sort of commitment to excellence that Al Davis had long espoused.

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Most Pivotal Matchup

Oakland's games against the arch rival Denver Broncos are always meaningful, though the presence of Peyton Manning in orange and blue will raise the stakes significantly this season.

Manning makes the Broncos the team to beat in the AFC West, but if the Raiders can upend the Broncos at home in December, to kick off a stretch in which they'll play three divisional opponents over the final four weeks, the Black Hole may yet have a division crown to celebrate at season's end.